Courage in the Kiss (20 page)

Maxx had been right on both counts. He’d shown Hadley how much he’d missed her, and he’d been gone by morning light.

There was something sad about those two truths. It was bad enough that Maxx had actually missed her, suggesting that he felt more for her than a mere fling, but there was also something fundamentally devastating, when she woke to find his side of the bed empty. That was, empty except for a short note.

Hadley,

Thanks for another incredible night.

Don’t work too hard.

Maxx

Short, simple, and somehow sweet, the note said enough to let her know that he cared, but not enough to let her know
how much
he cared.

Stretching, Hadley thought back on last night. Long, lingering kisses and slow, graceful caresses that reminded her of their first time together. It had been tender and meaningful, just as that first time, as though Maxx really was trying to impart some deep and meaningful message through their movements.

Afterward, they’d talked a little and slept in each other’s arms. It had felt as real as every other moment she’d shared with him over the last month. Real and impossible.

Maxx had confessed that the investors weren’t taking well to his takeover of the company, or with Emerson’s retirement. Those who hadn’t been at the business party thought he was taking advantage of his father’s ill health to run Emerson’s company behind his back. No one bought the story of his retirement, or that he’d handed the company over to Maxx willingly.

That was the reason he’d come home. Not to see her or even to quench his thirst for her, but to get legal documents signed, in person, proving that Emerson had retired and that Maxx had been chosen to take over the company. It was the only thing that would satisfy the naysayers, without Emerson speaking to them himself.

In return, Hadley imparted the sad truth of Emerson’s resolve to adopt her. He kept trying to press the papers on her at inappropriate moments, trying to take advantage of her sadness to make her sign them.

But by that point, all Maxx had done was nuzzle her hair and mutter how good she smelled, as he drifted off to sleep. She hadn’t the heart to argue or bring it up again. She just let him sleep and, now, he was gone.

Hadley’s thoughts remained on Maxx as she cooked breakfast and waited for Emerson to appear. He’d told her to make a substantial, hot breakfast for Micah, but to leave him something light, while he ‘took care’ of a phone call.

It all sounded far too ominous for her liking.

Flipping the bacon over, she gently flicked some of the oil from the frying pan over the top of the egg, just how Micah liked it. And, as per Maxx’s request, she’d sent the cook and his wife, who did the baking, out to the market in her place. They were to prepare for another surprise visit from Maxx, to make sure that they had all of his favourite foods in the house. That way, if he came back again for one or two nights, she could at least send him away with another care package.

“Morning, Hadley,” Micah muttered as he walked into the kitchen and pulled a chair out from the table.

She smiled and hummed a reply, loving that he always sat and watched her, over breakfast. At other meals, he waited in the dining room to be served, as Emerson preferred. But, during breakfast, he joined her and generally exchanged secrets with her.

“How was last night?” he asked, sounding tired, but nosy. “I didn’t get to see Maxx for long, but he nipped in, while I was doing my homework,” he revealed, to her surprise.

It was nice that Maxx had made the effort, when he normally wouldn’t. It gave her hope that she’d opened his eyes to how distant he’d become from his own family. “Did you have a chat, or did he just pop in?” she wondered, curious to find out what kind of effect their ‘fling’ had on him.

“Um…” Micah rubbed his right eye and shrugged, as she watched him. “He said he wouldn’t be home for about a fortnight, at the earliest, or a month at the latest. He said I was to take care of you, because Dad’s being difficult and it might upset you,” he explained, with a faint smile and look that said he was proud of his big brother.

Hadley had to admit that she was, too. The man just couldn’t seem to make up his mind. Was she a fling, or were they something more? Because he certainly didn’t treat her like a piece of ass that was there whenever he wanted her.

“I guess he came to see you?” he hinted with a meaningful look.

She smiled and gave in to the quizzing, turning to the frying pan as the egg spat. She checked everything and turned the heat off, once she knew breakfast was ready. “Yes, he came to see me,” she admitted, plating up onto two plates. She handed one to Micah and kept the other for herself, as she took a seat opposite him.

“And?”

“And, I think he might have come to see me first,” Hadley confessed, with a thrill. “He found me in the library and told me how much he’d missed me. Then, after he spoke with your father, and I presume you, he came upstairs and we spent the night together,” she revealed. There was no point keeping it a secret now, but she wasn’t going into any further detail.

Micah grinned sleepily, and picked up his cutlery to dig into his breakfast. “Great. So, if he missed you...does that mean there’s hope, or do you think he just missed...you know?” he asked, delicately.

Hadley shrugged, honestly not sure what the answer was. Her heart said that it felt real and that Maxx had truly made love to her last night, for perhaps the first time. But her head acknowledged that she wanted him to love her too much to know for sure.

Had she imagined the emotion and passion in him that suggested something more? Or was Maxx just so good at lying that he was lying to himself, too?

It turned out that the reason Emerson wanted a light breakfast was because he had a lunch meeting. The surprise was that he wanted Hadley to go with him.

This was the first time he’d ever invited her to a ‘business’ anything, other than the continual parties that she had to cook for and serve at. But her suspicious mind got the better of her and, all through the drive there, she wondered just why he was being so nice to her.

In all the time that Maxx had been away, Emerson hadn’t stopped arguing about the adoption papers, and went in a huff with her after every fight. They’d never had this animosity before, but he wouldn’t let up on the idea and Hadley just couldn’t allow it.

If she hadn’t already promised Maxx that she’d keep their ‘fling’ a secret, she would have told Emerson all about it, in the hope that he’d give up on the adoption.

“You’re very quiet, dear. Are you alright?” Emerson asked, as the chauffeured car pulled into the parking lot of one of the most expensive restaurants in town.

Now Hadley realised why he’d insisted on her wearing something other than jeans and a T-shirt. She’d opted for her black high-waisted trousers and a white shirt, similar to the one she’d worn for Maxx’s ‘care package’ video. It was the most presentable outfit she owned, but she still felt under dressed.

“Fine, thanks,” she replied absently, her mind a million miles away.

The chauffeur parked and helped Emerson out first, then they both walked around and held the door open for her. It was a little ridiculous, but she let Emerson have his way, just this once.

He tucked her arm under his as he made his way toward the entrance, nodding to the valet and chauffeur in thanks. When they got inside, the dark décor and ambiance obliterating the sunshine of the outside world, Emerson was immediately the centre of attention.

The maître ‘d showed them to their table personally, and asked if they would like a drink while they looked over the menu. Hadley was so unsettled by this high flying treatment that she stumbled over her request for a diet coke.

Emerson chuckled, as he seamlessly requested an iced tea.

Then, an uncomfortable silence took hold. Hadley didn’t know why she was here, or what ulterior motive Emerson had, but she suspected that she wasn’t going to like it.

“Did you see Maxx, while he was home last night?” he asked, startling her.

Unsure what he knew or what he was fishing for, Hadley sat back in her seat and contemplated how to answer that. “Briefly. He came into the library, looking for you,” she fibbed, not sure what else to say.

“And, do you know why he returned?” Emerson continued, nodding to the waiter as he returned with their drinks.

“I didn’t think that was any of my business,” she admitted, well aware that he didn’t like her ‘meddling’ in his business. He’d always insisted that it wasn’t her place to worry about his business, because she had enough to deal with, running the house. Now, she began to wonder if she’d always just been his ‘little girl’, and business dealings were considered beyond her understanding.

“I suppose.” He nodded and took a sip of his iced tea. “The investors are being a damned nuisance, insisting that Maxx shouldn’t be running the business, without some legal confirmation from myself. He had to have the paperwork written up and brought to me, so that I could sign it,” he explained, tutting in disapproval.

Hadley nodded, but had no clue what she was supposed to say to that.

“Ah,” Emerson brightened considerably as he looked over her shoulder toward the entrance and waved.

Curious, Hadley turned and looked behind her, only to find a tall, dark haired man waving back to them. He had one of those perfect smiles, strong bone structure, and model-perfect hair. If she hadn’t been in love with Maxx her whole life, he probably would have been her type.

And that was the problem.

She turned back to Emerson and glowered at him across the table. But the infuriating man just grinned and waved the man forward.

As soon as he reached the table, he shook hands with Emerson and took the seat on the right, between her and Emerson. That made sense of the table for four, which she’d simply assumed was Emerson’s way of getting a better table, nearer the window.

Now that his underhanded plans came into view, she knew that he had no such intentions of the window being the main view.

“Ronnie, this is Hadley. Hadley, this is my lawyer, Ronnie,” he explained, as he did the introductions.

Hadley shook the offered hand, only somewhat relieved to hear that Ronnie was a lawyer – albeit a good looking one. If he was there in a professional capacity, his looks had nothing to do with anything and she may only be there to witness a new will or legal document. This whole thing may be due to Maxx’s return and the grumbles of his investors.

“Nice to meet you,” Hadley said, giving a brief nod of hello.

“And you,” Ronnie returned with a sparkling smile. He settled in his seat, and ordered a lemonade when the waiter approached. Then, without waiting to be asked, he opened his briefcase that he sat on the floor beside his seat and extracted a folder of papers. “I brought everything you asked for, when you called this morning. Obviously, there will be more paperwork required and I’ll need to get a copy of the death certificates, for legal reasons,” he began with a casualness that made Hadley’s head spin.

Clearly, Emerson had arranged the meeting this morning and it was going to take a lot of talking and paperwork to clear it up. But when he mentioned death certificates, she couldn’t help but wonder if he meant Eloise’s certificate or someone else’s. Either way, it didn’t make much sense. Why were they required for a business document?

“Emerson,” Hadley spoke up, with a churning in her gut that said she knew what this was and just couldn’t find the words. “What’s going on?”

Ronnie looked confused as he glanced between them, before turning back to her. “I’m sorry. Emerson said you were aware of this,” he hinted, once again glancing in Emerson’s direction. “Hadley, this is the paperwork to legalise your adoption.”

“No!” Hadley shouted, not caring who she disturbed or what anyone thought about her outburst. “I told you, I don’t want this,” she reminded him, angrily.

Emerson glared, but didn’t speak as he looked out the window, clearly trying to avoid her.

“Ronnie, I’m really sorry to waste your time,” she apologised, since this wasn’t his fault. “But I have no intention of allowing Emerson to adopt me. I have my reasons and he’s not listened to any of them. So I’m asking you, is there any way that he can do this against my wishes?” she asked, to make sure that she had some legal standing. If he tried to go behind her back, she’d kill him.

Ronnie looked confused again, but answered with only a slight pause. “No. Technically, an adult can’t be adopted under British law. But, since you’re half French, on your mother’s side, we can apply through the French courts.
If
you wanted to go through with it,” he added as a last minute thought. “But you would have to give your permission and, if you were to get married before the paperwork was approved, your spouse would also have to agree,” he clarified.

Hadley nodded her understanding, then thought about it some more. “Then I don’t give my consent,” she decided, since it seemed to be that simple.

This certainly explained why Emerson kept trying to trick her into signing documents and pushing them on her at inappropriate moments. He knew fine well that he wouldn’t be able to adopt her without her consent.

“Emerson, I made all of this very clear to you, a year ago,” Ronnie recalled with a look of exasperation.

She could only imagine the struggle he’d had, trying to reason with him, now that his mind was made up.

“It doesn’t matter,” Emerson said in a clipped tone. He opened his menu and began studying it, while Ronnie and Hadley did the same, neither able to fill the silence.

She had no clue what to say, or how to convince him that all of this hassle wasn’t necessary. And it wasn’t fair to keep using emotional blackmail against her.

“Ronnie, did you know that Hadley likes to paint?” he continued, so suddenly that the change of conversation surprised her.

“You know fine well that you’ve already told me,” Ronnie complained with a sigh. “I also told you that I don’t need set up. I’m seeing someone,” he remarked, much to her surprise.

Hadley almost choked on her drink, as she realised that Emerson would never be happy unless he was meddling in someone’s life. So, it wasn’t good enough just to want to adopt her; he had to set her up with his lawyer, too? He was trying to choose who she dated?

Emerson waved his hand in dismissal of Ronnie’s words. “But Hadley is a much better option, I’m sure,” he insisted.

Ronnie only got to open his mouth, before the waiter ventured over and interrupted.

“Sir, there’s a phone call at the desk for you,” he explained, looking a little nervous about butting in.

Emerson nodded and rose from his seat, not even bothering to excuse himself as he left the table.

Hadley shook her head and touched her hand to Ronnie’s forearm. “I’m really sorry about this. I knew he was up to something when he invited me to come with him. I just didn’t expect this,” she apologised, frustrated that he was becoming even more stubborn in his old age.

Ronnie smiled and looked around, before leaning in close. “That’s alright. I’ve tried to tell him countless times that we’re not a suitable match, but he won’t listen.”

“Well, why would he? You’re just seeing someone, and that’s not marriage. So, unless you’re married, you’re still available,” Hadley warned him, gently. She didn’t want him to think this was over, because it wasn’t. Emerson wouldn’t give up until he got what he wanted.

But then Ronnie laughed and whispered. “I’m gay, Hadley. Married or not, you and I would never end up together. No matter how hard Emerson tries,” he admitted with a smile.

She couldn’t help but return it and feel relief. Thank god for that, because she really wasn’t sure what she’d tell Maxx if he called her tonight. Part of her thought that telling him about Emerson’s ‘set up’ would make him jealous, but another part was scared that she’d tell him and he just wouldn’t care.

“Well,” Hadley looked around, copying his careful movements, before whispering, “as long as we’re sharing secrets, I can tell you that I’m seeing someone, too. In fact, Maxx and I are kind of in this awkward phase of sleeping together. I’ve loved him forever, but he can’t love me, so we’re in this ridiculous situation that we can’t tell Emerson about,” she confessed, feeling a load falling off her shoulders as she said the words.

She hadn’t meant to say so much, but once she started, she couldn’t stop herself.

“Your secret is safe with me,” Ronnie promised with a wink. “My boyfriend, Jay, is actually my boss at the law firm, so we can’t tell Emerson, either. And, right now, marriage is out of the question. I plan on opening my own practice in the village, but until we do that, no one can know we’re together,” he explained.

Hadley smiled and settled in her seat to rest her head on her hand, glad that they could share their loads, without either of them getting in trouble. She could see that Ronnie’s secret weighed as heavily on him as her own.

“I’m kind of glad you told me about Maxx,” Ronnie said, also relaxing now that Emerson wasn’t there. “Now that I know why you’re refusing, I can dig around for some legal loophole to give Emerson, the next time he calls. I’ll rope Jay into helping; he’s a sucker for a tragic romance,” he admitted with a hint of teasing.

“Thank you.” Hadley’s smile grew, as they continued a casual, friendly conversation with none of the awkwardness that had been there when Emerson sat with them.

He might have planned for Ronnie to become her boyfriend, but she had a feeling that she’d just found a new best friend.